How Much You Need to Exercise If You Sit at a Desk All Day

Watching every season of your favorite show may sound like the perfect Friday night for some, but you’re putting your health at risk after just a couple of episodes. You are literally sitting yourself to death. Sitting more than 11 hours a day increases risk of premature death by 40 percent. Sitting is not really the new smoking, Shane McLean, certified personal trainer at Balance Guy Training, says. “This is obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but sitting will definitely not help you stay healthy in the long run.”

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?

If your goal is to maintain your general overall health, an hour of working out may be enough, according to studies. However, an hour of physical activity a day will not help you if you’re sitting all day and weight loss is your goal, McLean, certified personal trainer at Balance Guy Training, says. “You can’t exercise for a bit and think you’re good.” Just like you can’t sit down and do nothing if you exercise on regular basis. “This will undo some of the hard work you’ve been doing.” You have to stand up during the day and move as much as you can, McLean adds.

GET UP EVERY HOUR

The body burns most calories while at rest, but in order to make it do so it’s important to stand up and walk as much as you can throughout the day, McLean says. Don’t give your metabolism a chance to slow down. “Get up every hour to move around and do some stretches.” It’s important to get that blood going through the body, he adds. You need to stretch your muscles in order to avoid injury next time you train or to simply prevent soreness.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

“Keep it as uncomplicated as possible,” McLean says. If the rules are simple to follow, then it’s much easier to do something on a regular basis without thinking much about it and make it a habit, he adds. Taking the stairs is common. You can do a lot of moves while sitting in a chair, which will help increase blood flow. Next, flexions, bicep curls, leg raises, and shoulder squeezes are some of them. Also, if you can, move your trash can and printer or anything else you use throughout the day away from your desk. This way you have to get up each time you use them.

STRETCHES AT THE OFFICE

Try using bars alongside the toilet in the handicapped stalls for stretching. There is no excuse for avoiding them while at the office. They take practically no time and feel so good. The simplest example is flexed-elbow shoulder circles – it increases shoulder joint mobility and keeps your upper-body blood flowing. Do stretches that are good for your posture as they can help by strengthening key muscles, while stretching and aligning your body at the same time. Hamstring stretches are also helpful.